


one wrong choice

by Twice_before_Friday



Series: Altered & Extended - season 2 [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Episode: s02e01 It's All in the Execution, Gen, JT is Worried, Ledge Scene, Malcolm Bright is not Okay, Stand Alone, Teamwork, Terrible Plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:22:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28817760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twice_before_Friday/pseuds/Twice_before_Friday
Summary: "Are we really just gonna go running because his skinny ass summoned us?" Even as he asks, though, he's hauling himself to his feet, taking a moment to double check that his sidearm is loaded and ready to go, just in case.Because where Malcolm Bright goes, trouble is sure to follow.
Series: Altered & Extended - season 2 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112852
Comments: 24
Kudos: 102





	one wrong choice

**Author's Note:**

> Rewatching the episode, I started to wonder how Malcolm would've talked the team into agreeing to his plan of confronting a killer on the ledge of a building. Here's my take!

The text comes as JT's flipping through the latest set of crime scene photos — the Catlins: a husband, wife, and teenage son, all found with their throats slashed, just like three families before them — detailing an address uptown. It's followed in quick succession by a flurry of additional texts.

_Knock quietly_

_Bring rope_

_Preferably climbing rope, at least forty feet_

_And a carabiner_

"What the hell?" JT groans as he watches the messages pop up one by one on his screen, wondering, not for the first time, why he didn't just fire Bright's ass as soon as he was given temporary command of their unit. "Even when dude's not here, he doesn't shut up."

He looks across the table to Dani, and, judging by the suspicious look she's shooting her own phone, she's getting the exact same flood of texts as him. And while she winds up smirking at JT's commentary, she still pushes to her feet, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair and shrugging it on.

"Are we really just gonna go running because his skinny ass summoned us?" Even as he asks, though, he's hauling himself to his feet, taking a moment to double check that his sidearm is loaded and ready to go, just in case.

Because where Malcolm Bright goes, trouble is sure to follow.

"You tell me. You're the boss," Dani deadpans, crossing her arms over her chest as she props a hip against the table, the embodiment of cool, calm, and collected.

JT scowls at her faux-innocent act, which, of course, has no effect on Dani whatsoever. It doesn't matter if they're friends, teammates, or (temporary) boss and subordinate, Dani never seems to buy into his gruff and surly demeanour.

And really, it's not like there actually _is_ another choice. Bright texting for back-up is unusual enough in and of itself. The fact that he's obviously got a plan — probably already set in motion — just means that there's a decent possibility that Malcolm has already followed the clues, identified their killer, and is about to end up in some sort of life-threatening situation as he attempts to catch the murderer single-handed.

"Fine," JT grumbles as he stalks to the conference room door, turning to look Dani in the eye as he adds, "But only because if something happens to him while I'm in charge, Gil's gonna kill me."

"Yeah. Of course." Dani doesn't even try to make it sound like she believes him.

Twenty minutes (and one emergency stop for rope) later, they're standing in front of the apartment from Bright's text, knocking quietly, as per his instructions.

The entire drive over, JT had been picturing exactly what they would be walking into. Everything from a gruesome crime scene with another family slaughtered, to an elaborate set up with pendulum axes swinging through the room (because it's Bright, and why not).

He absolutely did _not_ expect Edrisa to open the door.

"You made it!" Edrisa's attempt at a whisper is half-successful, at best. The sheer magnitude of her enthusiasm makes JT's stomach clench against the dread that begins to pool inside of him. Any plan that Bright concocts that leaves the quirky medical examiner this excited has _got_ to be a terrible one. "Come in, come in!"

Edrisa ushers them in, taking a moment to quietly close the door behind them before leading them to a small sitting room down the hall.

"So, what exactly is the plan here?" JT frowns, dropping two spools of rope to the floor as he looks around the room, wondering where the hell Bright is and just how much paperwork JT is going to end up with at the end of the night.

"Bright called me!" Edrisa squeaks, and then slaps a hand over her mouth as she suddenly remembers the need to keep quiet. "Bright called and asked me to help him catch the Penthouse Slasher. How cool is that?!"

It's clearly a struggle for her to keep her voice down and JT would swear he can actually _feel_ the excitement rolling off of her.

"Oh yeah?" Dani says quietly, eyeing the room the same way JT is, "and where is Bright now?"

The smile on Edrisa's face falters ever so slightly, a hint of fear flashing behind her eyes as her gaze darts towards the large window just behind Dani. It's enough of an indication that JT and Dani both whirl around to stare at the window, or more specifically at the thin ledge just beyond it. It's only as JT steps closer, though, that he sees a foot, a leg, the edge of a jacket that looks like it cost more than he makes in a month.

"Oh, hell no," JT says, reaching for the window latch only to have his hand batted away by Edrisa.

"Wait!" she whispers, quickly holding up her hands in a clear sign of peace as JT eyes her warily. "He has a plan."

"Of course he does," Dani mutters under her breath, and JT isn't entirely sure if the frustration he currently feels is hers or his.

"Does this plan involve taking a dive off this building?" JT asks slowly.

"Gosh, I hope not," Edrisa says earnestly, glancing nervously towards Malcolm's blessedly still form on the ledge. "And it's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen. Hence the rope."

She waves towards the coils of rope on the floor, as if that's some sort of explanation as to why they're there, why Malcolm is standing on the ledge in the first place, and how they're supposed to keep him safe if they're not even allowed to open the window.

"Gonna need a little more than that, Edrisa." There's an anxiousness in Dani that gives away how worried she really is, despite her attempt to appear unaffected by whatever it is that's happening here.

"Right. Yes. Well." Edrisa clasps her hands together, calming herself as she _finally_ explains what's happening and why Bright is standing mere inches away from certain death. "According to Bright, the Penthouse Slasher is going to come here, tonight, to kill the family next door."

"What?" JT's gaze snaps to the door, his hand instinctively dropping to his gun. If the family across the hall is in danger, they should be over there protecting them. 

Dani mirrors his posture, ready to head out on JT's order but Edrisa steps in front of the door and holds up her hands, a clear sign to stand down as she hurries to explain.

"The Penthouse level of this building has two apartments. This one, which," Edrisa pauses, looking more than a little guilty as her eyes drop down to the floor, "we may have broken into." She brushes that small fact off with a wave of her hand and hurries to add, "And the one across the hall, where the Rose family lives. Bright's profile — which is brilliant, by the way — suggests that the Penthouse Slasher will be here any minute to kill the Rose family."

"And we're standing here because…?" JT asks, his body already leaning towards the door, ready to move, to prevent another set of murders.

"Because this is our best chance of catching him." Malcolm's voice from behind him comes as such a surprise that JT nearly draws his weapon as he jerks around to face the window once again, finding Malcolm crouching down on the ledge, comfortably perched in the open window like he doesn't have a goddamn care in the world. "Hey guys. Thanks for coming. And for bringing the rope! Excellent choice, by the way. That should be more than enough to hold both our weights in case something goes wrong."

"Both your...wait. What?" JT runs a hand over his face as if he can wipe away the absurdity of this whole night.

"Look, I don't have much time to explain. If I'm right, Chester will be here any minute." Malcolm speaks quickly, with the same intensity he always conveys when they're close to catching a suspect.

"Who is Chester?" Dani voices one of the many, _many_ questions that are floating through JT's head, sounding just as exasperated as JT feels.

"The killer," Malcolm says simply, as if that's going to explain everything. "Look, he's coming after the Rose family." Malcolm stops JT's next question with a hand raised to shoulder height in a let-me-explain gesture that does nothing to quell JT's concerns. Frankly, the fact that he's not holding onto the window with both hands just makes JT even more uncomfortable. "Don't worry. I sent the Rose family to a hotel for the night. Chester will be breaking into an empty apartment."

Malcolm keeps looking to the corner of the building, clearly waiting for someone to approach, and JT can't help but wonder if the man has finally lost his damn mind, because no sane person is going to be standing out on that ledge.

And that includes Bright.

"Look, I don't have time to explain, but I need you to get that rope and attach it to my vest, and then anchor it to the wall." Malcolm pauses, craning his head as if he's listening for something. When he begins to speak again, it's in a rushed whisper. "But you're going to have to do it quietly because I'm about to have company. Wait until I stand next to the window, in order to block his view. There's a cut in my coat. Use the carabiner to attach the rope. And do it fast."

JT doesn't even get a chance to protest before Bright is straightening up and spinning around on the ledge in a way that causes JT's stomach to drop and leaves him feeling like he's about to lose his dinner. He even finds himself reaching out uselessly, though he's half a dozen feet and a closed window away from Malcolm.

"There is something seriously wrong with that guy," JT mumbles as he closes his eyes against the sympathetic vertigo that's threatening to buckle his knees. 

"Yep," Dani agrees easily, and even Edrisa tilts her head in acknowledgement, but all three of them immediately move to do exactly what Malcolm requested, reverting to whispers as they hear Bright begin to speak with someone out on the ledge.

"Why the hell would this guy go out on the ledge?" JT mutters to himself, so quietly that his voice barely carries through the room. It's rhetorical (mostly) and he's already let it go as he readies the rope, getting it prepared to attach to Malcolm. 

He'll never admit it out loud, but he's going to feel a hell of a lot better once they have Bright firmly tethered. The damn kid is pint-sized and weedy, and JT is honestly a little worried that a gust of wind could blow him away like so many dandelion seeds.

They work silently for a moment, unravelling the rope and removing the radiator cover in order to anchor the rope to the radiator itself. Most of the conversation on the ledge is too quiet to hear while they work, but three sets of eyes shoot to the window as they hear Bright shout into the night. 

"I am The Surgeon's son! You hear that, New York?!"

When JT looks over to Dani, there's an expression settled heavily on her face, something that JT can't quite place. He knows she's been worried about Bright lately, but this is something more. This looks a lot like distrust and JT wonders just how long it's going to take for things to come to a head between them. Ever since Malcolm lied to them about going to visit Everett Stirling when he was supposed to be under house arrest, things have been tense between Malcolm and Dani.

And JT gets it. He does. But he also needs them to work cohesively as a team and he's not sure how much longer that can happen if Dani doesn't trust Bright, and Bright keeps doing crazy shit like this.

But that, he decides, is a problem for later.

"Okay, we're ready to attach the rope to Bright as soon as he—" JT's whisper cuts off as Malcolm backs up against the wall, providing enough cover that they can, hopefully, crack the window and attach the rope without the suspect noticing.

JT hands the rope end to Dani and then brings his finger to his lips, signalling a need for complete silence before he slowly pushes the window open a crack. Snippets of Malcolm's conversation float through the open window, but JT is so focused on Dani's smooth and soundless movements that he barely even pays attention, at least until Malcolm begins to talk about the killer's plan.

"That's how I knew you'd come here tonight. To kill the Rose family."

And of course Bright would be calling their suspected serial killer out. Because why wouldn't he? It's not like he's standing on a tiny ledge, hundreds of feet above ground level, unarmed and untethered.

Oh, wait. Yes he is.

Dani moves fast, though, so by the time the killer makes his move (because of course he didn't actually ditch the knife), the rope is fully secured to the vest that's hidden beneath his coat. The other end, though…

JT grabs hold of the rope and gestures for Edrisa to start wrapping it around the radiator, but within seconds there are clear sounds of a struggle from outside — panting grunts and the horrifying sound of a shoe slipping over the concrete ledge — and then suddenly the rope is sliding through JT's hands.

He's overwhelmingly grateful he hadn't had a chance to take his gloves off as he grips the rope with all of his strength, looking up to see Bright's body jerk to a halt just before he's pulled off the ledge with Chester.

Dani throws open the window in a near panic, shouting, "Bright, you were supposed to wait for us to anchor the tether!"

And even through the mild panic that's flooding his system, through the strain that rips through his muscles as he plants a foot on the window ledge and bears the weight of two grown men to keep them from becoming puddles of jelly on the street below, he thinks that it's _exactly_ like Bright to pull something like this. Either he blindly trusted the team to tether the rope in time, or he didn't really care if they did, and both of those options are more than a little terrifying.

But once again, JT decides, it's a concern for later, as all of his thoughts and strength are consumed by the task at hand. He can't even toss out a smart-ass comment when Edrisa overshares about a light bondage phase she went through back in Hoboken because he can feel the rope slipping, his hands giving way as the weight becomes too much to hold. 

It's not long before JT loses his grip completely, his breath catching in his chest as the line slithers out the window for a heartstopping second, only to be jerked taut as Edrisa's knots hold firm, keeping Bright securely fixed on the ledge.

He's still trying to calm his racing heart when Malcolm's takes a phone call (and JT wants to scream, "Really dude?! Now?!" but somehow manages to keep his mouth shut) and though JT's trying not to listen in, it's pretty obvious the call is from Bright's dad. Instead of focusing on what that means or why Bright chose to answer in the first place, he works with Edrisa to wrap the other rope around Dani (because obviously JT brought two lengths of rope, knowing more is always better when it comes to Bright) and then tether it to the radiator so that she can climb out and help pull Chester up.

In less time than JT would've expected, Dani is passing Chester through the window and then climbing back in herself. Once her feet are on solid ground, she leads Chester across the room and holds him against the wall, cuffing his hands behind his back as Edrisa works to release the knots and free the rope from around Dani's waist.

With the suspect in custody, JT turns back to the window, only to find Bright still perched on the ledge, the tip of one of his absurdly expensive wingtips hanging over the edge as he stares off into the night like he's not quite seeing the world in front of him.

And JT doesn't like that look one bit.

"Hey man," JT says quietly, leaning out the window ever so slightly while keeping the bulk of his weight firmly in the apartment. "You maybe wanna come back in now?"

For a moment, Malcolm doesn't respond at all. Doesn't even blink. JT is just starting to wonder if he didn't hear him when Malcolm turns to face JT with one of his patented million-watt smiles plastered on his face — the kind that doesn't make it anywhere near his eyes, the kind that looks so fake that JT isn't sure who exactly the kid thinks he's fooling.

"Of course. Just, you know, admiring the view." 

Malcolm straightens up, standing with his shoulders pulled back and head held high as he takes one last look over the city, and then jumps lightly back into the room, graceful as a cat. 

He looks perfectly unaffected and completely put together. 

And JT isn't buying it for a minute.

He can tell Dani isn't either. Edrisa, on the other hand…

"Bright, that was amazing!" As soon as the rope slips from Dani's waist, Edrisa rushes to Malcolm's side, sliding a hand tentatively down his arm before moving to disconnect the rope from his back. "Your profile was perfect. I mean, it always is, but you knew exactly what he was going to do!"

Everyone in the room ignores Edrisa's small, besotted sigh.

But as Malcolm and Edrisa dive into the profiling process in greater detail — far greater detail than any normal person would care to hear — JT's gaze seeks out Dani while she recites Chester's rights. 

They've been trying their best to keep Bright in line after everything that happened with Nicholas Endicott, not wanting to bother Gil with his increasingly reckless, almost _unhinged_ , behaviour.

But maybe it's time to fill the Lieutenant in. Gil's been the only person to consistently rein the kid in since he joined their team (and probably long before that, as well). And JT doesn't even need to exchange words with Dani to know she's on the same page. She offers a brief nod before she leads Chester out of the room, volunteering to take on the task herself.

All JT can do now is hope that Bright doesn't end up on any more ledges, figurative or literal, in the meantime.

Because Malcolm Bright is a weird dude and a right pain in his ass, but he's a damn fine profiler and, deep down, JT knows he's a good guy. 

And he'd hate to see one misstep, one wrong choice, destroy all of that.


End file.
